Hobby Quick Hits Ep.173 "Topps Rip Party" Review

SPEAKER 1: Hobby quick hit, delivering that breaking hobby news directly to your in laws.

SPEAKER 1: I know those had dropped from the car shaft.

SPEAKER 1: We've got you covered with your host, John, a new man.

SPEAKER 1: Hey, everybody. Welcome to episode 1. 73 of hobby. Quick hits. Had to do some quick math. Right there. Today's episode is going to be a review of the Tops Rip Party that I attended on Saturday night, at my friend Nick Brower, a, an collect shop in New Hartford, New York, about a 55 minute drive, about 50 miles away from me in Syracuse.

SPEAKER 1: But, went there to support, his shop which he opened in 2023 and, you know, never had attended a Tops Rip Party, until, Saturday night. So this will talk about, everything that was entailed, and my impressions and thoughts of, of how the night went. So, we're gonna hear from our great sponsors and we'll get, go over to new releases some news and then tackle the Rip Party.

SPEAKER 2: Ok. Now, a quick word from our great sponsor followed by the new product release schedule. Then we'll go around the hobby verse to tell you all the latest hobby happenings and news. Then we'll tackle today's topic of discussion.

SPEAKER 3: Hi, this is Pat Hughes Cubs announcer. Coming to you from the Sports Card shop in beautiful New Buffalo, Michigan. The goer family has built an incredible place here for collectors to buy, sell and trade cards and memorabilia. Be sure to stop by and let them show you around the Sports Card shop.com connecting sports athletes, the hobby and collectors around the world.

SPEAKER 4: Hi, this is Allen Pinkett and I'm here to tell you the goer family has done it again.

SPEAKER 4: They've just opened up the sport card shop in downtown Valparaiso, Indiana and it is awesome.

SPEAKER 4: If you're a collector, you need to check this place out.

SPEAKER 4: Tell them Alan sent you and get a free gift on your first visit.

SPEAKER 1: All right, let's go over the new release schedule and what's coming out in the next two weeks if you will, on the 28th of 2022 23 OPG Platinum hockey.

SPEAKER 1: So upper deck is, is, you know, got some of last year's product trying to catch up and some of the new product at the same time, it can get confusing.

SPEAKER 1: But that will be out on the 28th also on the 28th, 2023 24 Panini Court Kings Basketball, staying on the 28th, 2023 Panini Prism racing.

SPEAKER 1: Still on the 28th upper deck. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of madness. Last product for the 28th, 2024 tops UFC Chrome as the licensing changes hands there and they released their first product rather quickly.

SPEAKER 1: On the first of March 2023 Leaf Metal Legends, wrestling.

SPEAKER 1: All these are on the first of March 2023 Panini Illusions Football 2023 24 Panini Prism Choice basketball, 2324 Panini Prism, premier league soccer breakaway Pokemon, Pokemon 2024. Stacking 10 Pokemon Paola, a Venture Chest 2023 Pokemon TCG World championship deck.

SPEAKER 1: And on the sixth, we have 2024 historic autograph celebrity signed vintage edition also on the 6th, 2024 historic autographs, yesteryear. Staying on the sixth, two more products as well. 2022 23 Panini flawless basketball.

SPEAKER 1: 2023 24 upper deck series to hockey. Got a feeling we'll be seeing.

SPEAKER 1: Can Connor Bernard Young guns. So circuit your calendars there and we'll close on the eighth of March with 2024 leaf metal sports heroes and 2324. Panini Court Kings Basketball International Blaster and two more products on the eighth to close out the release calendar for this episode 2324. Panini Prison basketball fastbreak and 2023 Panini spectra football. So as I always say, choose your weapon. Happy Rippon.

SPEAKER 1: Let's go round the hobby verse and catch up on this week's hobby news and find out.

SPEAKER 1: All right, let's start with the big news. Really just happened yesterday. At the time of this recording, we talked about it previously. Right, that 1979 1980 0 peachy hockey sealed wax case, which probably contains about 24 Gretzky rookies in probably decent shape being unopened. Well, that case sold at Heritage, it's final for $3.72 million.

SPEAKER 1: Yeah. Oh, snap is right. So almost $4 million. Last time we talked, I had a week left, it was up to 2 million. So it almost doubled in price the last week. But, be interesting to see what the new buyer does, or identifies themselves, or breaks the case up and sells boxes, opens it up and pulls Gratz keys. We'll, we'll, we'll have to wait and see, if we can find out, what happens there tops.

SPEAKER 1: And fanatics have announced what they did in the baseball, with debut patches. They are bringing to the MLS where major league soccer in their products will have debut patches for players making their debuts in the major league soccer league. Messi did it last year. So I think they're a year too late to, to get a messy one, but they might, who knows, maybe they'll do, something else, with him.

SPEAKER 1: So, 11 thing I think is kind of neat with the soccer patches. The baseball ones they had to cut out, but this, with the soccer ones, they're using Velcro where they can just kind of rip it right off and it just easier to, to disconnect it from said Jersey. So that'll make it a little bit easier, for them to handle that. Panini's got news of their own.

SPEAKER 1: They have just signed a multiyear agreement, no details as far as pricing or, how long it just said multiyear but with the liv or the L golf league where most of the stars have signed over with the PGA merger, Tiger Woods not included. So you, you will not see any Panini Tiger Woods cards, but you will see everyone else that's falls under the liv umbrella, including memorabilia cards, and autos and I know it's golf.

SPEAKER 1: But there, there are some golf collectors out there and I just think, you know, anytime you anything's on Prism, right? People seem to flock to it. So I think there'll be a market for this but you know, depending on what this cost, Panini probably a smart maneuver on their part. And the one of one prism, Black Shimer Wem be has been pulled but not on us soil was pulled from a Beijing China breaker.

SPEAKER 1: It's the one of one Black Shimer Wey and I've been told it's already on ebay up for sale for a very high price tag. If you're looking to acquire that, get out your checkbook there. But you know, I guess some people will be glad to, you know, that it's not one of the famous breakers that seem to pull everything of significance.

SPEAKER 1: This one was a Beijing China breaker there. So, there's the news and now our feature presentation talking about the first Tops Rip Party of 2024. I intended that at a, an collect in New Hartford, New York. My buddy Nick Brauer, also fellow hobby news daily writer.

SPEAKER 1: He writes, there as well, at his store which has been open since 2023. They are actually going to be expanding, next month. But, not quite yet. And, first Rip Party for his new store. And, these were done obviously around the country in various direct, tops L CS S in some cases.

SPEAKER 1: You know, autograph guests, were, were located in, in some places.

SPEAKER 1: I know our good friends, at, the Sports Card shop had, dual rip parties at both of their locations in New Buffalo and Valpo.

SPEAKER 1: So, Nick, store closes at four, but he reopened at seven to, get the Rip Party underway. Very well attended, I say the crowd was between 4050 people, deep, a lot of wax specials, like Cops hanger boxes. All years were 10 bucks, Cops Heritage, high numbers where I believe, $50 a box tops 2023 holiday, mega boxes were only 20 bucks. So a lot of specials.

SPEAKER 1: He has only a few boxes of 2024 tops. Like the hobby or the Jumbos left th those sold, quickly. So I wound up buying, two, tops 2024 Hangers. A box of the 23 holiday and a box of 2023 Stadium Club. You know what I think about, Stadium Club.

SPEAKER 1: So I, I had something to rep great job by Nick kind of as people came in, made purchases, they got two tickets, a door prize one and then one to be entered into a free break, which he did on his own accord, which was two boxes of Cops, black chrome and two boxes of Bowman Chrome, draft from 2023.

SPEAKER 1: And we'll talk about kind of what came out of that but a lot of shirts gave away. Almost everybody. It seemed like that that was there. They get a Tops RP party shirt. Yours truly in included. So, a good time really was had by all.

SPEAKER 1: You know, everyone seemed to get something he gave away a couple boxes as well of, of holiday, 2023 mega.

SPEAKER 1: You know, so I gave some cards away. To some kids that were around me. I pulled a Jonathan India game use card. I gave it to a kid and they were pretty happy with that.

SPEAKER 1: Some other pulls from the product I opened Corbin Carol sp rookie out of the holiday with, you know, with the candy cane or the, the hat hat and candy cane bat code Senga holiday sp I got a Nolan Ryan Sepia out of Stadium Club. I got a, I believe it's a case hit a buster posey photographer proof. Also at a Stadium Club.

SPEAKER 1: Ripkin Stadium club, black out of the tops 2024 hangars, a lot of inserts including a chrome Corbin Carroll, chrome version of the insert there. So very happy, very, you know, great prices. Nick did a great job kind of crowd control, making sure everyone was involved. He had table set up there where people could sit down with their product and, and rip it.

SPEAKER 1: I talked to a couple of people, I've gotten to know from the shows and, and doing STC bulk submitting and Pete and Chris. So we, we cut it up a little bit and joked around and that was, that was kind of the theme of the night. Everyone was talking with each other, getting along, having fun cracking some jokes, opening some product and it's good to see, right.

SPEAKER 1: You know, while the hobby is not where it was at the COVID creche, you know, it is still doing. I'm happy to say very well. Nick is doing, very well with the store as he begins expansion to, you know, same location.

SPEAKER 1: But they're knocking a wall down and, and making more, square footage and, gonna bring in some games and, and more, more events and, you know, I including he's gonna have some signers there, which I think, you know, don't quote me. I think he was offered a signer but only declined just because he's with limited space. He wanted to put on a, a good presentation. So, Kudos for Nick and, did a great job.

SPEAKER 1: It was a long day for him. He told me he started early on and, you know, I, I was the last one there talking with him and I think I left at like 11 something and made my hour, hour trip home, got home, you know, slightly before midnight drove little fast. But, great event was glad I was, could attend even though it's a little bit of a trip.

SPEAKER 1: You know, I try to get out there and support, friends in their endeavors and, a lot of wax being open. You know, if you looked at his two garbage cans, they were just overflowing with wrappers and shrink wrap and empty boxes. And, I believe a good time was had by all, let's talk about, some of the, the, the big hits from the free break.

SPEAKER 1: I want a Jackson holiday and, a Michael Harris, Braves, Black, Rookie and a Michael Harris Bowman Chrome Rookie. I have the Braves and the Orioles and the free break and, the, the, the Bowman Chrome rookie was numbered to 499 of a factor.

SPEAKER 1: So, no complaints, from me, very happy, especially who get, you know, getting a free two spot.

SPEAKER 1: So, the very cool and, and other people did very well and the big pull from the free break was out of the black chrome and I've seen some not so great autographs and one was Pablo Lopez out of one box of the twins, but the other box was a Mariano Rivera insert like a gold insert, auto number to 25 to another gentleman who actually that is on it, gonna be on its way to STC for grading by them.

SPEAKER 1: So again, a fun night got to rip some stuff, some shirts. I got a, a little Godfather Vito Corleone, figure made by Funko something new that I didn't have for those that know, I'm a huge Godfather fan of the movie and collectibles. So we'll add that to the, the inventory.

SPEAKER 1: And again, a long night got home at, at midnight but fun fun would do it again. And, very good. And basically, oh, I forgot to, to mention, you know, tops also distributed, Rip Party packs. And so for, I believe, for every $25 someone spent, they got a pack which I believe contained four cards.

SPEAKER 1: I, I wound up somehow with like 16 cards. A couple of people just handed me, some, I gave to, to others, but, you know, made exclusively for the event. I know Nick told me something like there's only 2600 packs distributed across the country.

SPEAKER 1: So they're, they're not as produced obviously as the flagship products. So there's some, you know, limited availability there and I know there's some autos and number cards out of those. I didn't see any, it doesn't mean they weren't pulled.

SPEAKER 1: It just means I didn't see them. So when else, out of my packs, I got the, the base cards which were cool, but, you know, big names, right? You got your kas and your Griffey and Julio, and the like trout, Bryce Harper. I got all those guys.

SPEAKER 1: I'm very pleased. So, Nick did a great job, hosting and, I think every, you know, plenty of space people had plenty of space to open what they were buying on site. Some people took their stuff and, you know, left and didn't stick around.

SPEAKER 1: But overall, I think most people, stayed. So, you know, it's nice to see an event where it brings the hobby together. People can laugh, smile, have a good time and I think most people did. And, so again, kudos, the Tops fanatics could.

SPEAKER 1: I, and I know, you know, to the other shops that did it as well. I'm sure similar circumstances there, as well. So if you get a chance to attend a top THB party, you know, thumbs up, from me. So that's gonna wrap up this week's Hobby. Quick Hits and, we'll see you real soon.

SPEAKER 1: All right. Thank you for listening to another episode of Hobby Quick Hits. Wanna give out our Social Media starting with our website, which is www dot sports Carnation podcast.com, Facebook. You can follow us at www.Facebook.com, Forward slash Sports Card Nation Podcast, forward slash Twitter.

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